John & Nina and the Telegram story

Uncle John and Aunt Nina were married in 1944 in West End Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Mom wore the same wedding dress when she and Dad were married the next year. (You can see a picture here.)

One of my favorite family stories...

Before John and Nina were married, he was studying to be an Army doctor at Johns Hopkins, and Nina was in college in Atlanta. Word got to him that Nina was engaged to be married to a Navy man. John borrowed money from his brother Jim to hop on the train to Atlanta to try to make things right with Nina. The war was on, he did not have permission to leave, and he was technically AWOL. Navy Military Police were on the train but were only checking passes of the Navy men. They were not interested in John, an Army man.

Brother Jim made John promise to let Jim know how it went down south. Telegrams were charged by the word, so John succinctly sent word of how his effort was going to win Nina back. His telegram to Jim read in its entirety:

Army 7, Navy 6, 3rd quarter

The story ended happily for us as John wooed dear, gracious Nina away and into the family.